What is included in a production's cost?

[AlfieByrne]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:14pm

I basically know that construction/design of sets, creating/designing costumes, etc are all part of production's costs.

But if anybody could list more specific costs attributed to a production that adds up to, say, Spiderman's $45 million?

[blaxx]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:17pm

Julie Taymor = 35 million

[TBD2]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:20pm

There are rental costs for audition and rehearsal spaces. Plus salaries for anybody under contract while the production is -- produced. Probably incidentals like travel and hotels...

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:27pm

Every expediture leading up to the first Broadway preview is part of the initial production cost.

[TBD2]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:29pm

^ I think the OP understood that, Specifically though?

[SNAFU]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:29pm

With Taymor's project there had to be a huge portion set aside for R&D on the set. There was going to be skyscraper flats that were both lightboxes, projection screens and could rotate and tilt to create the illusion you could go from looking at buildings at street level to looking up at buildings in a forced perspective.

[fgreene1938]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:42pm

Astronomical production costs can occur when shows are rewritten, recast or production team members are replaced. Shows often go "out-of-town" for try outs where many changes must take place or it becomes obvious to the production team that a show is not working. All of these changes are expensive (think "Young Frankenstein" and "The Little Mermaid") and even if a show makes it to NY, these production costs may mean a show will never recoup (Jeckyll and Hyde ran for almost 4 years and still lost money).

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/12/09 at 6:47pm

Jekyll.